This film appeared the same year as Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, and it’s hard not to see it as Toei Studios’ attempt to break into the same market. The same year, they also released Magic Serpent, which ranks as one of the absolutely goofiest kaiju eiga movies ever made by anyone at any time for any reason.
Perhaps they had Atragon (1963) in mind when they made this film, as it too deals with a high-tech sub and an underwater city. However, any resemblances stop there.
Here Sonny Chiba (soon to be famous for his Street Fighter martial arts films) and model Peggy Neal play reporters who stumble on an underwater cave and mysterious fish men while out scuba diving.
They’ve discovered the underwater lair of the sinister Dr. Moore, who is hard at work at creating his own little private fiefdom, as part of his plan to take over the world. And to carry out his will, he’s made an army of “water cyborgs”.
The insistence on the word “cyborg” is puzzling here, as they are clearly fully biological with no mechanical parts. However, they are bulletproof – at least when the plot calls for it.
They are also badly crosseyed, which is probably harder to explain. I suppose one could make excuses about how water refracts light more than air does, but lets face it, deadly underwater monsters aren’t supposed to look like Ben Turpin. But it is okay if they look like the Creature from the Black Lagoon’s sick cousin.
So at least they got that part right.
Toho would have done this one better, but then we knew that. Still it’s an amiable little film, with lots of underwater battles, model submarines, water “cyborgs” and over-acting villains…
Or in other words, it’s the perfect Saturday afternoon movie, for those of us who grew up cheering Godzilla on as he stomped on Tokyo.
rivets on the poster 